Filling-machine.



P. C. H. STRASBURGER.

FILLING MACHINE. y APPLICATION FILED MAY Y18, 1909.

Patented Nov. 16, I1909.

MLFIM my or @ook and 7,0 and 'i mph rn fom Auml Hw com mwn um.

diaphragm is equalized with or made greater than the pressure below thediaphragm and this' permits the beer valveY to open. If the pressure onboth sides of the diaphragm is equalized the beer valve will open bygravity and the Weight of the column ot' beer sustained thereby; ifthere is a greater pressure above than below the diaphragm this willassist in opening the beer valve. y

It hasheretofore been the practice in some machines to equalize thepressure in the beer tank and the bottle by establishing communicationtherebetween before the beer begins to liow; it has been proposed tosupply the pressure for the bottle from a source other than the beertank; and it has also beenppro posed to provide a greater pressure inthe bottle than in the beer tank and to furnish this pressure from asource of supply independent of the beer tank.

My invention contemplates means automatically operated for maintainingthe proper relation between the pressure 1n the beer tank and thepressure in the source of vsupply for the bottle so as to provide inevery bottle before the beer begins to fiow a pressure equal to thepressure of the vbeer in the filling tube at the top of the bottle whenthe latter is in filling position.

The prsure of the beer in the filling tube at the top of the bottlecomprises lthe pressure on t ie beer in the tank plus the hydrostatichead of the beer from the beer level in the tank to the top of thebottle. I pro! vide in the bottle a pressure equal to the pressure ofthe beer in the filling tube at the top of the lbottle to reduce thedrop of the beer to a minimum consistent with the practical operation offilling the bottle. In other words I reduce the drop of the beerapproximately to the len 1th of the bottle, and entirely overcome tiedrop of the beer between the top of the bottle and the beer level'in thetank. It is desired to fill the.

bottle and hence I provide a pressure which permits the beer to rise tothe top of the ottle, approximately, and prevents it from rising higher.It this pressure is increased the beer will rise in the bottle only to acorrespondingly lower level. The level to which the beer will rise inthe bbttle de-l pends u on the pressure provided in the tank an4 ,byvarying this pressure the quantity .of beer admitted to the bottle maybe variedaccordingly.. 'As it is desired to fill the bottle a'proximately I provide a pressure in the ottle equal to the pressure ofthe beer in the filling tube at the top of the bottle.

My improved variable pressurelcontrolling means comprises a relativelyhigh pressure chamber 29 which is connected by a pipe 30 with a sourceof counter pressure supply and by.a pipe 31 with the va ve casing l5.The

pipe 31 communicates with an air passage 32 in said casing which isnormally closed by the valve 14. A relatively low pressure chamber 33 isconnected by one or more pipes 34 with the beer tank above the level ofthe beer therein. A pipe 35 is connected at on'e end to the chamber 29and discharges into the chamber 33, being provided at its d ischarge endwith a buttery. or other suitable valve 36. More than one pipe 35 may beprovided if desired. Removable weights 37 are arranged on the valve 36and they canv be regulated as required to control the opening of thevalve so to maintain the proper relation of pressure for the beer tankand for the bottle. A screw plug `38 is arranged in thehside of thechamber 33 so that access can readily be had to the valve 36 forchanging the weights as required. For convenience the chamber 29 ispreferably located within the chamber 33, as shown.

It is customaryto provide a certain degree ot pressure in the beer tankand if it .is desired to provide a counter pressure in the bottle equalto the pressure of the beer in the-filling tube at the top of the bottlewhen the latter is in filling position, al weight, or wei fhts,correspondlu g to the hydrostatic hea of the beer to the top of thebottle would be arranged'on the valve 36. This weight Will prevent thevalve 36 from opening until the pressure on the beer in the tank fallsbelow the pressure initially provided, in which event the valve would bepened by the higher pressure in the chain- \ber 29 to increase thepressure in the chamber 33 and the beer tank until that pressure plusthe Weight 37 is equal to the pressure in the chamber 29. Thus thepressure supplied to the bottle from the chamber 2,9 and the ress'ure ofthe beer ate the top of the bott e when the latter is in fillingposition always bear a certain fixed relatlon. This fixed relation isconstantly maintained byv reason of the fact that the valve 36 willautomatically open to increase the pressure in the beer tank wheneverthe pressure therein falls below the amount initially provided.

Means of suitable character are preferably provided for regulating thesupply ot beer to t-he beer tank and as one means for accomplishing thisresult I have shown a float valve 39 which is fully set forth in myLetters Patent No. 883,254 dated March 31, 19'08. This valve is operatedby the'loat 40 vwhen the beer falls below a predetermined level topermit the pressure accumulated in the tank to escape therefrom throughthe vent pipe 41 so that more beer may enter the tank and thus restorethe predetermined level. A pet cock 42 is provided in the vent pipe toregulate the escape of pressure.

A reducing valve 43 is provided inr the pipe 30 and pressure gages 44,and 45 are preferably provided for the high pressure off in the fillingoperation. rllhe float valve will continue to operate even when thefilling operation is stopped because whenever the pressure in the tankexceeds the pressure on the beer at the discharge end of the pipe 6 thebeer will be forced back into said pipe and this will allow the floatvalve to open, 4which permits the escape and Waste of the excesspressure in the tank and in turn permits the beer to fiow back into thetank from the pipe 6, and this operation continues indenitely.

In this way the ressure in the tank is substantially maintained in itsroper relation to the pressure of the in'owin beer, gradually reducingaccording to the oss of hydrostatic pressure in the vat.` And thepressure at the top of the bottle also varies in proper correspondenceto the variation of pressure in the tank, due to the loss of hydrostatic head in the vat, by reason of the operation of the weightedcontrolling valve 3G. When the float valve opens and pressure escapesfrom the tank the controllin valve also opens and the pressure in the camber 29 reduces.

The Variable pressure controlling means, comprising the chambers 29 and33 and the valve 36, would provide a constant pressure of seven poundsin the filling tank if' it were not for the fioat Valve Whichautomatically operates to permit the escape of excess pressure in orderthat the effective pressure whichis maintained in the tank shall beproperly proportioned to the pressure of the beer in the vat at thedischarge end of the pipe 6 and reduced in corresponding proportion-tothe reduction of hydrostatic head in ne vat.

f it were not for the fioat valve operating automatically in the mannerheretofore pointed out the excess pressure in the tank, after some beeris drawn from the vat, would be suflicient to force the beef.' back infothe vat,`but the automatically operating float valve prevents this.

In practice it is customary when the ma# chine, is to be stopped for theday to close the cock 4l and allow the pressure ini-'the i iankto forceall the beer from the tanl hack into the vat so that the filling machinemay he cleaned at the end of each day.'-

When the valve :lf3 is opened the pressure in the chamber 2.) is reducedbecause the area of' the outlet from the chamber 29 is greater than thearea of' the inlet opening and also because there is less pressure inthe chamber 33 than in the chamber 29. The chamber 33 is connected withthetank by a nuinher/ot' pipes 34 so that the pressure in the chamber 33reduces correspondingly with the reduction of pressure in the tank andfor`- this reason also the pressure in4 the chamber 2t) reduces when thevalve 3G 1s opened. These operations of the float valve and ceil- -thefilling trolling valve continue in rapid succession during the practicaloperation of the ma' chine and, in fact, the variation in the leiel ofthe beer in the tank is very sli ht, While there is almost a constantescape o pressure through the float valve. The pressure 'm the tank andboth chambers is constantly changingwhile the machine is in operation anthis is due, it will be noted to the'loss of hydrostatic pressure fromAth filling of beer from 1the tank into the bottles.`

With my invention the beer is filled into the bottles in a dead state,without foam or sufficient'agitation to liberate its contained gas, andthe construction is such that the pressures are automatidally regulatedas' operation proc eds. When the machine 1s once startedl impracticaloperation it requires no further attention, during the day, so far asthe ressures are concerned, and this is of t e greatest importance infilling beer where the pressure in the beer from the supply vat isconstantly vary mg.

W hat I claim and desire to secure ters Patent is:

1. In a filling machine, the combination of a beer tank connected with asource of supply, a fillingv mechanism connected with the tank, meansvvfor supplying pressure on the heer in the tank, means for supplyincounter-pressure to the bottle to be fille and means for maintaining adiHerence between said pressure corres onding to the hydrostaticpressure of the eer in the tank to the top of' the bottle when infilling position.

2. In a filling machine, the combination of a beer tank connected with asource of supply, a filling mechanism connected with the tank, meansfor-supplyin pressure on the beer in the tank, means for supplyin vcounter-pressure to the bottle to be fille means for maintaining adifference between saidv pressures corresponding to the hydrostaticpressure of' the beer in e tank to the top of the bottle when in filingposition,

and means for automatically controlling thev inflow of beer to the tankby permitting the escape of pressure therefrom.'

by Lae 3. fn a filling machine, the combination" of a beer tank, aconnection between saidI tank and a source of beer supply ainde'r'preggsure, sind pressure decreasing as' the'bee'lr is used, a fillingmechanism 'e'ennected with the tank, means for supplying pressure onvtheheer in the tank, means for supplyin counter-pressure to the bottle tobe fille means foiguiaivntaining a difference between said pressure inthe tank and the counterpressure corresponding to the hydrostaticpressure in the tank to tlie top of the bottle when in filling position,and means for con trolling the supply of beer to the tank comprising apressure exhaust, a valve in said l exhaust, and a ioat for operatingsaid valve and controlled by the level of the beer in vthe tank.

4. In a filling machine, the combinationv of a beer tank, a llingmechanism connected therewith, a high pressure chamber con nected to asource of pressure supply and adapted to furnish pressure to the bottleto be filled, a low pressure chamber connected to the beer tank, aconnection between said chambers, and a valve in said connection. l

In a filling machine, the combination of a beer tank, a fil-lingmechanism connected therewith, a high pressure chamber' connected to asource of' pressure supply and adapted to furnish pressure to the bottleto be filled, a low pressure chamber connected to the beer tank, aconnection between said chambers, a valve in said connection, and aweight on said Valve to control the operation thereof.

(5. In a filling machine, the combination of a beer tank, a fillingmechanism connected therewith, a high pressure-chamber connected to asource of pressure supply and adapted to furnish pressure to the bottleto be filled, a low pressure chamber connected to the beer tank, apipe-connected to the high pressure chamber and discharging into the lowpressure chamber,I and a weighted valve in said pipe adapted to openwhen the pressure in the low pressure chamber and the tank falls below apredetermined degree. v

7 In a filling machine, the combination of a beer tank, 'a fillingmechanism' connected therewith, a pressure chamber adapted to furnishpressure to the bottle to be filled, another pressure chamber connected.with the beer tank, a connection between said chambers, a valve in saidconnection, and a weight on said Valve, said weight corresponding to thedifference between the pressure in the beer tank and the chamberconnected therewith and the pressure desired to be furnished to thebottle.

of a beer tank, a filling mechanism connected therewitlnan outerpressure chamber connected to the beer tank, another pressure chamberarranged within said outer pressure chamber and adapted to furnishpressure to the bottle to be filled, a pipe having one end connected tothe inner chamber and its other end arranged to discharge in the outerchamber, and a controlling valve in said pipe.

9. In a filling machine, the combination of a beer tank, a fillingmechanism connected therewith, an outer chamber connected with the beertank, an inner chamber arranged within said outer chamber and adapted tofurnish pressure to the bottle to be filled, said inner chamber'beingconnected to a source of pressure supply, a pipe connected at one end tothe inner chamber and "having its discharge end arranged in the outerchamber, a valve at the discharge end of said pipe, and aweight on saidvalve, said weight being proportioned to the (lifference between thepressure on the beer in the tankand the pressure desired in the bottle..

' FRANK C. H. STRASBURGER.

Witnesses:

WM.' O. BELT,

M. A. KIDDIE.

8. In a filling machine, the combination

